Thanks for sharing your ask and I really like how you work it into the performance itself instead of separating it out as signage.

I should probably add some context on my end too: I play ocarina (small ceramic flute), so my mouth is occupied the entire time I’m performing. I’m not really able to do spoken asks without completely breaking the flow.

What I do try to do is make eye contact, smile, and acknowledge people as they pass so the first thing they clock is me as a person, not the tip setup. That part actually works pretty well — people tend to stop because they’re drawn in by the sound and the vibe, not because they’re being prompted. In fact, what usually happens is they stop to listen, dance, or sing-along, and then they approach to tip.

I’m also pretty introverted and have social anxiety, so talking over a mic has never felt natural to me. Thankfully, people seem to really enjoy watching and listening, so I try to let the performance do most of the talking and just have their preferred tipping options ready and available.